An important topic in medical imaging is the visual representation of elongated structures, such as tubular branching structures, such as, for example, blood vessels, or airways in volumetric data sets. To identify these structures and visualize all branches from a primary centerline, many types of visualization methods have been utilized. However, such methods are limited in their ability to display the entirety of these structures “at a glance.”
As an example, two popular reconstruction methods for the display of blood vessels and other branching structures are the curved planar reformation (CPR) view and the straightened curved planar reformation (sCPR) view. The CPR and sCPR views utilize the luminal centerline to calculate a two dimensional planar view projected along the centerline. Although a planar view displays the length of the entire vessel, these views may not provide sufficient information on the entire circumferential surface of the vessel at a glance. Thus, branching vessels that leave from the surface of the vessel may not be represented at all times in these views.
Another imaging technique used in medical imaging is a maximum intensity projection (MIP). An MIP view may display the projection of voxels with maximum intensity along parallel rays originating from the viewpoint to the plane of projection. This technique may display vessels of small caliber, since the maximum intensity along the ray is displayed and tortuous vessels may be visible in one view. However, any bright structures along the ray may obstruct the view, and may prevent the vessels from being visualized. Additionally, this technique may not display the entire circumferential surface of the vessel at a glance.
Thus, a need exists for systems and methods, which provide sufficient information on the entire circumferential surface of the vessel at a glance.
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